From my place on the edge of the Cathedral’s highest tower, I watch the sleeping city and wait.

For a century, I have been here, observing—while the small town swelled and spread in every direction like the threads of a cobweb.

Decade after decade, I have been imprisoned—while monsters of steel and glass rose toward the sky from the debris of ancient houses like Phoenixes from ashes.

Year after year, I have been hungry—while the smell of life swirled around me, torturing me, threatening to suffocate me.

Night after night, I have lain in wait …

Until now.

Through my stone eyes, I see a young woman turn the corner. Hiding in the shadows, she follows the narrow dark street. Her fast footsteps echo from the walls until she reaches the Cathedral’s front steps. She stops and looks up … toward me.

Our eyes meet for a second that seems like an eternity, and I realise the hour has finally arrived.

She opens the book in her hands. Words fly from her mouth. Wind blows. Dust and old newspapers swirl around her.

Lightning rips the sky.

Thunder booms.

The woman continues chanting, her voice stronger than the natural forces battling to overpower her.

Suddenly, silence.

From inside the silence, comes a creaking sound. It increases and fills the night. The gargoyle I had been imprisoned within tears apart. I stretch my wings, and they glint under the full moon, throwing bat-shaped shadows on the streets below.

With an inhuman roar, I leap from the tower and embrace the night air. For the first time in a hundred years, I fly. I see my new master waiting for me, the book now closed in her hands; though I don’t go to her immediately.

First, I need to feed.